{As Amended by House Committee of the Whole} Session of 2024 Substitute for HOUSE BILL No. 2494 By Committee on Education 2-8 AN ACT concerning school districts; relating to emergency response policies; establishing requirements for cardiac emergency response plans; creating the school cardiac emergency response grant fund. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas: Section 1. (a) The secretary of health and environment shall develop statewide standards for cardiac emergency response plans. Such standards shall be developed in accordance with nationally recognized guidelines for implementation of cardiac emergency response plans as promulgated by organizations focused on emergency cardiovascular care. (b) The board of education of each school district shall adopt a comprehensive cardiac emergency response plan, including policies and procedures for cardiac emergency responses for each attendance center operated by the school district, based on the statewide standards developed by the secretary under subsection (a). The board may utilize any materials, documentation, video recordings, training modules and certifications published by organizations focused on emergency cardiovascular care. The cardiac emergency response plan shall include, but is not limited to, the following: (1) Establishing of a cardiac emergency response team; (2) identifying and implementing the placement of automated external defibrillators; (3) identifying roles and responsibilities of school district personnel, local law enforcement agencies and local emergency medical services in implementing the cardiac emergency response plan; (4) establishing procedures, including the roles and responsibilities of school district personnel when responding to incidents involving an individual experiencing a suspected sudden cardiac arrest while attending school or at the site of any school-sponsored athletic practice or competition or other school-sponsored activity located in this state whether such site is located on the grounds of the school district or at another location, including, but not limited to: (A) Responding to individuals experiencing a suspected sudden cardiac arrest; (B) summoning emergency medical services; (C) assisting emergency medical service providers; and 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 HB 2494—Am. by HCW 2 (D) documenting actions taken during such incident; (5) conducting routine maintenance of automated external defibrillators, including appropriate placement in accordance with the statewide standards; (6) designating school district personnel for training in the use of automated external defibrillators and cardiopulmonary resuscitation during a cardiac emergency; (7) rehearsing cardiac emergency response plans, by simulation, by all athletic directors, coaches, assistant coaches, athletic trainers, school nurses and any other school district personnel designated pursuant to paragraph (6) either prior to the beginning of each athletic season or prior to the beginning of each school year; (8) establishing communication systems with local emergency medical services operating within the school district; and (9) developing a cardiac emergency action plan for school-sponsored events held at a location that is not on school district property. (c) Each board of education shall annually review the cardiac emergency response plan and adopt any changes to such plan as necessary. (d) Each school district shall submit a copy of the adopted cardiac emergency response plan to the secretary of health and environment. If the board of education of such district adopts any changes to such plan, a copy of the amended plan shall be submitted to the secretary. Sec. 2. (a) Each school district shall provide a copy of such district's cardiac emergency response plan to the appropriate local law enforcement agencies, emergency medical services and all school district personnel. Prior to the first instructional day of each school year, a school building administrator shall review the cardiac emergency response plan with all school personnel at each school operated by the school district. The time and date of such review shall be documented as part of the plan. After the last instructional day of each school year, the cardiac emergency response plan shall be revised by all school building administrators, school nurses and appropriate local law enforcement officers and emergency medical services personnel. (b) In accordance with the school district's cardiac emergency response plan, each school district shall maintain an automated external defibrillator in a public and readily accessible location in each school district building used for student attendance purposes. Such locations shall have conspicuous signs indicating the location of each automated external defibrillator. (c) Each coach, including any head coach, assistant coach or aide, any sponsor, including the head sponsor, assistant or aide, of any activity, as defined in K.S.A. 72-7117, and amendments thereto, and any other school district personnel designated pursuant to section 1(b)(6), and amendments 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 HB 2494—Am. by HCW 3 thereto, shall receive annual training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator administration {in accordance with such school district's cardiac emergency response plan}. At least one individual with such training shall be in attendance at each {physically present in the school district building when any} school-sponsored athletic practice or competition or other school-sponsored activity that occurs in any {such} school district building used for student attendance purposes with {and shall have} access to an automated external defibrillator and first aid supplies. {Notice of such individual's presence in the building shall be provided to the coach, sponsor or other coordinator of such practice, competition or other activity as required by the cardiac emergency response plan.} Such training shall be annually reviewed and modified as necessary {in accordance with such district's cardiac emergency response plan}. (d) Any person who in good faith renders emergency care or treatment pursuant to this section or who provides training as required by this section shall not be held liable for any damages as provided in K.S.A. 65-6149a, and amendments thereto. Sec. 3. The board of education of a school district shall implement the cardiac emergency response plan adopted pursuant to section 1, and amendments thereto, as the school district has sufficient unencumbered funds available to implement such plan. A cardiac emergency response plan may be partially implemented as funds are available and as deemed necessary by the board of education. Sec. 4. (a) There is hereby established the school cardiac emergency response grant program to be administered by the department of health and environment. Each school district may submit an application to the secretary of health and environment in such form and manner as prescribed by the secretary for an amount of grant moneys needed by such school district to implement such school district's cardiac emergency response plan adopted pursuant to section 1, and amendments thereto. Each grant application shall include a copy of the current school district cardiac emergency response plan, including all policies and procedures adopted for the implementation of such plan, and a description of the school improvements that the school district determines are necessary for such implementation. The secretary shall review all submitted applications and approve or deny such applications based on whether the applicant school district has demonstrated the necessity of the school improvements described in the application. If the secretary approves an application, the secretary shall determine the amount of moneys to be disbursed to the applicant school district from the school cardiac emergency response grant fund. If the secretary denies an application, then, within 15 days of such denial, the secretary shall send written notice of such denial to the 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 HB 2494—Am. by HCW 4 superintendent of such school district. (b) There is hereby established in the state treasury the school cardiac emergency response grant fund to be administered by the department of health and environment. All expenditures from the school cardiac emergency response grant fund shall be used for the disbursement of grant moneys for school improvements in accordance with this section and shall be made in accordance with appropriation acts upon warrants of the director of accounts and reports issued pursuant to vouchers approved by the secretary of health and environment or the secretary's designee. Upon receipt of such grant moneys, the school district treasurer shall deposit the amount of such award in the general fund of the school district. Sec. 5. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after January 1, 2025, and its publication in the statute book. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13